The invention relates to a wave guide laser comprising a wave guide arranged between two resonator mirrors and having an outer cylindrical wave guide surface and an inner cylindrical wave guide surface facing the outer surface and arranged within this outer surface in spaced relation thereto, the two surfaces together forming a wave guide having a radiation coherent in the entire wave guide and essentially expanding in axial direction, and a high-frequency excited and diffusion-cooled laser gas arranged between the wave guide surfaces.
Wave guide lasers of this type--in particular diffusion-cooled CO.sub.2 lasers--are known, for example, from DE-PS 27 35 299.
In order to be able to produce lasers for high capacities, in particular for capacities &gt;10 kw, from wave guide lasers of this type, the diameters of the cylindrical wave guide surfaces are to be selected in the order of &gt;20 cm so that a large diameter also results for the resonator mirrors. This results in great difficulties, particularly with a view to the design of the outcoupling mirrors, since transmissive materials for such large mirrors are no longer economical in their use.
The object underlying the invention is, therefore, to improve a wave guide laser of the generic type such that the high-power laser beam can be outcoupled by an element which is constructionally simple to produce and inexpensive.